The heavy studio lights hummed as they cooled down, ticking like a row of radiator pipes in an old apartment building. The air hung thick with the scent of hot electrical wire, drying stage makeup, and the cold draft sweeping across the concrete from the loading bays. The crew had already scattered for a twenty-minute reset, their heavy boots clumping down the dark perimeter paths, leaving behind only the ambient sounds of machinery winding down.
Nina leaned back against the rusted equipment crate, the raw wool of her modified dress scratching against the back of her neck. Her skin felt damp under the studio foundation, a thin sheen of sweat catching the dimming orange work lights. She closed her eyes for a moment, letting the exhaustion settle into her bones.
